BEATRICE – In the coming weeks, Beatrice Fire and Rescue will have a new rescue truck on the streets. The new four-wheel diesel-powered truck was delivered from Texas this week, and will be outfitted and marked with department decals, soon.


Captain Craig Fisher says the new vehicle replaces a two-wheel drive rescue truck that has been in use for the past 25 years.  "The old one was from 1997. It replaced an old Dodge van which we had our equipment in it and it was just piled in there. This was an improvement over that...but it's time for it to be replaced."


The type of environment, weather and rural areas where road conditions may not always be ideal, make the four-wheel drive option much better.
Fisher explains the truck’s role in the department.


"A rescue truck is for having extrication equipment....the jaws-of-life...cutters, spreaders...rope rescue equipment, water rescue equipment, airbags and lifting equipment. Pretty much, anything that someone gets tangled or stuck with, this is what we use to get them out."


Aside from having a more fuel-efficient diesel engine, Fisher says the vehicle has more cab space. "It's a four-man cab, so we don't have to take two different vehicles...you know, chase it with another pickup for our rescue truck if we need to go out some place in the country or out of our district."


Because of federal safety rules, the engine is governed so that the trucks’ maximum speed is 66-miles-per-hour…due to the weight of equipment it must carry.
Fisher says a lot of the preparation work to get the vehicle ready for use will be done in Lincoln.


City Administration says the truck costs about $260,000 when fully outfitted…and is being paid for through $200,000 in CARES Act funding created during the coronavirus pandemic, with the remainder coming from the fire and rescue department’s budget.

Four-Wheel drive unit an upgrade for department
Four-Wheel drive unit an upgrade for department